Marella Cruises adds Patras to summer 2028 programme

International

Six new itineraries, expanded cruise-and-stay options and a first call at the Greek port will broaden Marella’s Mediterranean offering

Marella Cruises has unveiled its summer 2028 programme with six new itineraries, including repositioning cruises, and Patras joining the cruise line’s network for the first time. The Greek port will be served by Marella Explorer from July 2028 as part of the new “Grecian Gems” itinerary from Corfu. The full summer programme goes on sale on 15 October 2026.

The addition expands Marella’s Eastern Mediterranean product at a time when the company reports continued strong demand for the region. Patras, Greece’s third-largest city, provides access to a less heavily visited part of the country, with attractions including the Church of St Andrew, archaeological and cultural sites and views across the Gulf of Patras.

Elsewhere in the Mediterranean, adults-only Marella Explorer 2 will return to Malaga for summer operations. From June 2028, the ship will operate the new seven-night “Spanish Shores” itinerary, combining Malaga with Gibraltar, Ibiza Town, Mahon in Menorca, Palma in Majorca and Cartagena. The programme reflects Marella’s continued focus on established European homeports alongside the introduction of new ports and routes.

New repositioning cruises

Four new repositioning products will be introduced from April 2028. Marella Explorer will operate two “Sail into Spring” cruises to Corfu, with a ten-night sailing from Las Palmas in Gran Canaria and an 11-night departure from Santa Cruz in Tenerife.

Marella Discovery 2 will offer the five-night “Flavours of the Mediterranean” itinerary from Palma to Dubrovnik. Two ships will also cross the Atlantic from the Caribbean: Marella Explorer 2 will sail the 13-night “Transatlantic Treasures” from Barbados to Malaga, while Marella Voyager will operate the 13-night “Atlantic Horizons” from Barbados to Palma.

Marella plans additional onboard programming for these repositioning cruises, including guest speakers, extra shows, new showcases and tribute acts.

The wider fleet will maintain a strong Mediterranean presence. Marella Discovery and Marella Voyager will be based in Palma, while Marella Discovery 2, the company’s second adults-only ship, will operate from Dubrovnik.

More cruise-and-stay capacity

Marella is also expanding the land-based component of its cruise programme. For summer 2028, cruise-and-stay customers will have a choice of 119 hotels across Majorca, Corfu, Dubrovnik and Malaga, with flight options from 22 airports in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The expansion allows customers to combine a cruise with a hotel stay in the departure region and gives the company greater scope to package Mediterranean holidays around its homeports.

“We're building on the continued popularity of our core homeports for Summer 2028,” said Marella Cruises CEO Chris Hackney. “Demand for our Eastern Mediterranean Cruises remains strong, with Summer 2027 already ahead of last year. We're also returning to Malaga for another summer season following the success of previous sailings from the region.”

Hackney described Patras as an important addition to the programme and pointed to the combination of new itineraries and expanded cruise-and-stay options as a way of offering customers greater choice.

Marella Cruises continues to operate on an all-inclusive basis, with tips and service charges included. Prices for the new “Grecian Gems” itinerary start at £1,966, with summer 2028 sailings available to book from 15 October 2026.